Just as I reached my 45 pound weight loss goal it was almost time for vacation. Everything was on target and I was elated, then during a random fit of childish anger because I tripped over a steel toed workboot of my husbands in the garage and then tried to kick it out of the way, I was left with this shifty shiner on my big Bertha.

OUCH!

First, I panicked. How would I run?

Then, I took a picture and sent it to everyone I could think of to bring in loads of pity. I deserved no pity, because I did it all to myself. I prayed I wouldn’t lose my nail and be able to keep running.

So far so good!

I took a week off running hard and just did a few long walks with a few sprints, then we left for vacation and I even managed two treadmill runs of 2 miles that week and hoped it would help me maintain my weight loss. I was doing really well until the last night…

The night of the Chinese Buffet that will live in infamy.

Usually I don’t get too excited about buffets, they are pretty much all the same…but this one, this Chinese buffet had everything! A sushi train, 5 kinds of rice, 4 soups and a long winding line of food and meats and veggies that looked like the yellow brick road to Glutton Nirvana.

I ate everything.

In small tiny amounts. I figured it would be okay.

It wasn’t.

For the next four days I regretted that buffet. However in the aftermath, I did manage to lose 3 pounds.

Just as I was feeling more myself, after recovering from my poor decision making skills, I got a phone call that my dear mother had fallen and broke four bones in her face. Off to the hospital to spend the next four days off and on, in and out of the hospital room, dancing around a schedule my sister Marsha and I managed to balance around her work and my three kids.

Those three stressors; blue toe, salmonella and injured elderly mother, can really add up to a desire to eat your feelings. To run and find comfort in the soft and snuggly striped arms of Ronald McDonald or even the King of Burgers himself!

But I was pleasantly surprised to see that I managed O.K.!

A year ago I would have spent all my spare time thinking of the next thing to eat. The next thing to shove into my mouth and down my throat to hold the stress back and to keep my feelings at bay.

Now I don’t do that.

Running and exercise and a good solid diet built on nutrition helped me so much. It was a great feeeling to see that food no longer controlled me.

Instead I controlled it.

While in a tight squeeze I did make a run to Sonic for kids breakfasts, for the most part I maintained a salad here, oatmeal for breakfast there and managed to keep myself and my family from piling up too many pizza boxes. So this was definitely an improvement over what would have been a catastrophe last year regarding meal planning.

So I am back on the trail. Running now for 1 week and I felt the ramifications of 2.5 weeks in the slow lane. After just three days back to the gym, my legs hurt and I had to cut my normal 3.5 mile trek down to just 2 and 2.5 mile runs. But it sure felt good to be jumping over sticks and trudging up mulch covered trails again.

Man, did it feel good.

So I am happy to report I am 48 pounds down from what I weighed in January. Today I weighed in at 208 pounds.
Stuck here for what seems to be days upon days, but at least I am not gaining weight. So that is good…and that hairloss that I had before, I got my blood work back and I am low on nearly every vitamin!

So I am on prenatal vitamins to give me megadoses of everything I lack. I will be okay as long as I don’t start…

Eating for two! (again)… 🙂

“I always hated pics taken in the mirror, but when you’re the only one up at 7 am, and you realize by 9 am your hair is going to be flatter than a flitter, you need to take opportunities where you can. This is my progress so far. 48 pounds down and weighing in at a healthier 208 pounds. Not where I feel I need to be yet, but it sure feels better than it was! Hoping for a great weekend with no chaos, drama, injuries or tummy revolts!”

“The following is a blog guest that wanted to get her message on healthy eating and cancer recovery. Having had cancer myself, I understand how important good nutrition is for recovery and maintenance. Thank you Jillian for wanting to add to my health posts. “

It has long been known that a poor diet is positively correlated with cancer risk. However, medical experts have been slow to prescribe a proper diet as part of a cancer treatment. Research over the last decade has attempted to quantify exactly how diet impacts cancer diagnosis and recurrence rates as well as how some treatments can contribute to malnourishment.

Micronutrient Deficiencies Common in Cancer Patients
The first evidence came in the form of epidemiological studies that showed newly diagnosed cancer patients who had poor diets (defined by the USDA Food Pyramid). Specifically, most were eating 1-2 servings, versus the 5 recommended, of fruits and vegetables each day. Studies suggest poor diet contributes to about one-third of preventable cancer diagnoses. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies are increasingly believed to be at the heart of this. The hypothesis has an experimental basis in that micronutrient deficiencies can cause damage to the DNA.

What Does This Mean for Patients?
Optimally everyone should learn the role of diet for cancer prevention and begin eating healthy right away. This is highly unlikely given the widespread availability and marketing of heavily processed foods, red meat, and foods rich in simple carbohydrates. The next best thing is for diagnosed cancer patients to embark on a healthy diet. Doctors should perform tests for common deficiencies and prescribe the foods, supplements, or multivitamins to correct them before beginning treatment.

Once underlying deficiencies are corrected, patients must realize certain treatments will result in certain deficiencies. Chemotherapy, for instance, promotes stomatitis, alimentary tract disturbances, and anorexia. Nausea and loss of appetite are also common symptoms reported by patients. Theoretically, chemotherapy can result in deficiency of vitamin K and several B vitamins. Treatment staff and patients must become aware of the symptoms of deficiency and how these symptoms differ from those caused by cancer and treatment. This way they can correct and reverse further damage.

Ensuring Nutrition in High-Risk Cases
As mentioned, some types of treatment can damage the digestive tract and lead to deficiencies. Those patients require a higher degree of monitoring during the treatment phase. They should follow steps towards managing digestive symptoms. Besides the often-debilitating effects of cancer, palliative care often uses chemotherapy and radiation to manage symptoms and prolong life. Nutrition for mesothelioma patients and others in palliative care will likewise reduce the severity of symptoms and increase one’s quality of life.

Blood cannot be used to test for many vitamin deficiencies, but it is useful for some. A nutritional profile combined with observation can uncover other missing micronutrients. With proper nutrition, patients can expect a reduction in the severity of symptoms and reduced rate of recurrence, both great reasons to start eating right.